dead

Universal Words adjective, noun, adverb adjective not alive 1 no longer alive: My mother's dead; she died in 1987. * a dead person / animal * dead leaves / wood / skin * He was shot dead by a gunman outside his home. * Catherine's dead body lay peacefully on the bed. * He dropped dead (= died suddenly) last week. * The poor child looks more dead than alive. * (figurative) In ten years he'll be dead and buried as a politician. idea / belief / plan 2 [notbeforenoun] no longer believed in or aimed for: Many believe the peace plan is dead. * Unfortunately racism is not yet dead. * Though the idea may be dead, it is far from being buried (= people still talk about it, even though there is nothing new to say). not used 3 belonging to the past; no longer practised or fashionable: Is the Western a dead art form? * a dead language (= one that is no longer spoken, for example Latin) * By the seventies the suit was dead, kept for weddings, funerals and job interviews. finished 4 (informal) finished; not able to be used any more: dead matches * There were two dead bottles of wine on the table. machine 5 (of machines or equipment) not working because of a lack of power: a dead battery / engine * The hard disk seems to be dead. * Suddenly the phone went dead. place 6 (informal, disapproving) very quiet, without activity or interest: There were no theatres, no cinemas, no coffee bars. It was dead as anything. business 7 (informal, disapproving) without activity; with nobody buying or selling anything: 'The market is absolutely dead this morning,' said one foreign exchange trader. * Winter is traditionally the dead season for the housing market. tired 8 [notusuallybeforenoun] (informal) extremely tired; not well: half dead with cold and hunger * She felt dead on her feet and didn't have the energy to question them further. without feeling 9 [notbeforenoun] (of a part of the body) unable to feel because of cold, etc. SYNNUMB: My left arm had gone dead. 10 to sth unable to feel or understand emotions SYNINSENSITIVE: He was dead to all feelings of pity. 11 (especially of sb's voice, eyes or face) showing no emotion SYNEXPRESSIONLESS: She said, 'I'm sorry, too,' in a quiet, dead voice. * His usually dead grey eyes were sparkling. complete / exact 12 [onlybeforenoun] complete or exact: a dead silence / calm * the dead centre of the target * The car gave a sudden jerk and came to a dead stop. * (BrE) This horse is a dead cert for (= will certainly win) the race tomorrow. * She crumpled to the floor in a dead faint (= completely unconscious). never alive 13 never having been alive: dead matter (= for example rock) * a dead planet (= one with no life on it) in sport 14 outside the playing area IDIOMS be a dead ringer for sb (informal) to look very like sb: She's a dead ringer for a girl I used to know. (as) dead as a / the dodo (BrE, informal) completely dead; no longer interesting or valid: In the second half both teams made substitutions to try and liven things up, but the game was as dead as a dodo. (as) dead as a doornail (informal) completely dead a dead duck (informal) a plan, an event, etc. that has failed or is certain to fail and that is therefore not worth discussing be dead and gone (informal) to be dead: You'll be sorry you said that when I'm dead and gone. the dead hand of sth (written) an influence that controls or restricts sth: We need to free business from the dead hand of bureaucracy. dead in the water a person or plan that is dead in the water has failed and has little hope of succeeding in the future: His leadership campaign is dead in the water. dead meat (informal) in serious trouble: If anyone finds out, you're dead meat. dead to the world fast asleep over my dead body (spoken) used to show you are strongly opposed to sth: She moves into our home over my dead body. sb wouldn't be seen / caught dead... (spoken) used to say that you would not like to wear particular clothes, or to be in a particular situation: She wouldn't be seen dead in a hat. * He wouldn't be caught dead going to a club with his mother. moreatFLOG, KNOCKv. noun (the dead) 1 [pl.] people who have died: The dead and wounded in that one attack amounted to 6000. 2 [sing.] the state of being dead: Christians believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. * (figurative) In nine years he has brought his party back from the dead almost to the brink of power. IDIOMS in the dead of night (BrE also at dead of night) in the quietest part of the night: I crept out of bed in the dead of night and sneaked downstairs. in the dead of winter in the coldest part of winter adverb (informal) completely 1 completely; exactly: You're dead right! * (BrE) a dead straight road * (BrE) The train was dead on time. * He's dead against the idea. * The sight made him stop dead in his tracks (= stop suddenly). * She's dead set on getting (= determined to get) this new job. very 2 (BrE, informal) very; extremely: The instructions are dead easy to follow. * You were dead lucky to get that job. * I was dead scared. IDIOMS cut sb dead (BrE) to pretend not to have seen sb; to refuse to greet sb: She saw me, recognized me and cut me dead. moreatRIGHTn.